A name synonymous with high-quality, popular animation projects, DreamWorks has offered some of the biggest, most successful animated franchises like Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, and many more. While their work has always been praised for creating fantastical worlds using imaginative, immersive animation and covers comedy, adventure, drama, and even action, horror is still uncharted territory for the brand. So, this Halloween season, DreamWorks fulfills that dream of fans and brings you a frightful adventure with Fright Krewe. Created by Eli Roth and James Frey, the all-new animated series is set in New Orleans and follows a group of teens who accidentally awaken an ancient evil spirit and unleash its dark powers. Gifted with magical powers and tasked by a voodoo queen’s spirit to fulfill a prophecy, the misfit “krewe” (archaic French for crew) of saviors must protect their hometown from demons, vampires, and other evil spirits. But before they can do anything, they first need to strengthen their friendship.
While the plot of Fright Krewe might feel similar to classic adventure stories in animation, the visual experience and narrative are what are going to set this series apart from others in the genre. For starters, many of DreamWorks’ animation features and shows, though family-friendly, have dealt with mature concepts, as in Kung Fu Panda, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, etc. Roth and Frey are set to take that one step further by creating Fright Krewe as a gateway horror story that could ease future generations of horror fans into the genre. As the show’s promo art shows, the series does have plenty of horrifying moments and visuals and yet looks at the story from a perspective that is more relatable and palatable to older children. And so, we can safely say that the new animated horror adventure has the potential to become one of its kind in the genre. Set to arrive this October, just in time for Halloween, here’s our complete guide on the plot, cast, character, trailer, and everything we know so far about Fright Krewe.
When and Where Is ‘Fright Krewe’ Coming Out?
Fright Krewe is releasing on Monday, October 2, 2023. The DreamWorks’ animated horror series will be simultaneously available for streaming on Hulu and Peacock, on and from the premiere day. You can watch on either of these streaming platforms with a subscription, where other DreamWorks animated series like Trolls: TrollsTopia, DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms, and more are also currently streaming.
Watch on Hulu
Is there a Fright Krewe Trailer?
Released in September 2023, the official trailer of Fright Krewe gives a peek at what to expect from this first exclusively horror series from DreamWorks. The one-and-a-half-minute trailer features some of the classic art styles from the animation powerhouse but is gloomier and scarier than most of their projects. The trailer opens with an oddball group of friends who are out to explore one of New Orleans’s above-ground cemeteries. When the group’s leader, a fearless girl who lives for horror, accidentally hurts her finger and bleeds on the branch of a tree, the blood awakens ancient, evil spirits that have been dormant for ages. They also earn superpowers gifted to them by the spirit of New Orleans’ voodoo queen. And thus begins the adventure of this band of misfits. The art style of Fright Krewe has characteristics of some of the animator’s successful projects combined with motifs from classic horror, and yet, the narrative seems unique and very contemporary. With magic, fantastical beings, action, and teenage friendship, the all-new series boasts all the right elements of an exciting horror animation that fans are sure to enjoy.
What Is the Plot of ‘Fright Krewe’ About?
Here’s the official synopsis for Fright Krewe:
Soleil Le Claire, a girl who lives for horror, accidentally breaks a spell on the Tree of Life and unleashes an ancient evil. The spirit of Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of New Orleans, puts her and four other kids in charge of saving the city from Belial, an ancient demon who feeds on fear. Luckily, they’re not alone, as each kid gets a special gift from the voodoo spirits called Loa. Eventually, they learn their town’s biggest secret: Vampires, rougarous, ghosts, monsters, and demons are real and have secretly lived among humans for decades.
Who’s In the Voice Cast of ‘Fright Krewe’?
Image via DreamWorks
Fright Krewe boasts a stellar voice cast portraying its motley group of heroes and villains. For the ragtag bunch of friends, Sydney Mikayla voices Soleil, Tim Johnson Jr. voices Maybe, Grace Lu voices Missy, Chester Rushing voices Stanley, and Terrence Little Gardenhigh voices Pat. Jacques Colimon voices the ancient demon Belial who feeds on fear and is awakened after ages. In supporting and recurring roles, Vanessa Hudgens features as Madison, Josh Richards as Nelson, X Mayo as Alma, Rob Paulsen as Lou Garou, David Kaye as Mayor Furst, JoNell Kennedy as Marie Laveau and Judy Le Claire, Melanie Laurent as Fiona Bunrady, Chris Jai Alex as Otis Bunrady, Reggie Watkins as Paulie, Cherise Boothe as Ayida Weddo and Ayizan, Keston John as Papa Legba and Ogoun, Grey Delisle as Judith Le Claire, and Krizia Bajos as Luciana Rodriguez.
Who is Making Fright Krewe?
Fright Krewe is created by actor-filmmaker Eli Roth and writer-producer James Frey. As an actor, Roth is best known for starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds but he debuted as a director back in 2002 with Cabin Fever, which he also appeared in. Roth is mostly known for directing/writing grisly horror films like the Hostel film series, Aftershock, The Green Inferno, etc., and select episodes of television shows like The Hemlock Grove and South of Hell. He is next set to release the upcoming slasher film Thanksgiving and the sci-fi film, Borderlands. Fright Krewe marks the first horror project where Roth focuses on a story and characters that are targeted specifically towards “older kids” and have a lesser terror quotient. James Frey, who serves as the co-creator of the animated series, is an author most recognized for his bestselling books, A Million Little Pieces, My Friend Leonard, and Bright Shiny Morning. His book I Am Number Four, from The Lorien Legacies series, was adapted into the eponymous live-action teen sci-fi film by DreamWorks in 2011. Both Roth and Frey serve as executive producers on the series along with Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, while Shane Acker and Mitchell Smith co-executive produce.
How Many Episodes Are There in ‘Fright Krewe’ Season 1?
The first season of Fright Krewe is slated for 10 episodes of 22 minutes each, all of which are set to stream together on the day of the premiere, on October 2. Here’s the list of episodes as revealed on Hulu:
- Episode 1: “The Blood Awakening, Pt. 1”
- Episode 2: “The Blood Awakening, Pt. 2”
- Episode 3: “The Awakening”
- Episode 4: “The Haunting”
- Episode 5: “The Feast”
- Episode 6: “The Swamp”
- Episode 7: “The Light”
- Episode 8: “The Bait”
- Episode 9: “The Trap”
- Episode 10: “The War”
